Closure cap and sealed package



D. D.' ACTON CLOSURE CAP AND SEALED PACKAGE Sept. 9, 1969 2 Sheets-$heet1 Filed Feb. 27, 1967 Sept. 9, 1969 0. D. ACTON CLOSURE GAP AND SEALEDPACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1967 United States Patent F3,465,908 CLOSURE CAP AND SEALED PACKAGE Daniel D. Acton, Lancaster,Ohio, assignor to Anchor Hocking Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio, acorporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 618,928 Int. Cl.B65d 41/04 U.S. Cl. 215-44 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE FIELD OFINVENTION The present invention relates to an improved closure whichcooperates with the improved glass finish of the container to provide asealed package which prevents insects from infecting the space betweenthe skirt of the cap and the glass finish.

PRIOR ART More particularly this invention is an improvement upon theclosure cap and upon the glass finish of the container disclosed andclaimed in Patent No. 3,174,640 owned by the assignee of the presentinvention. The closure and container in the above patent provide anexcellent hermetic seal which may be subjected to high temperatureprocessing and to a long shelf life without impairment. The closures andcontainers of the above patent have been sold in large quantities forseveral years.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention aims to provide an improvedlug construction with a reduced inward extension with respect to theinside of the inturned bead and which does not impair the roundedcontour of the cross-section of the inturned head as to substantiallythe lower half a of the bead. In addition the invention aims to combinesaid closure with a glass container having an annular bead with a ledgeat its upper portion varying in height to cooperate with the inner sidesof the bead of the closure to prevent infestation of the space betweenthe skirt of the cap and the outer wall of the container.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide animprovement upon the closure and the container glass finish of the abovepatent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a glass container havingan annular ledge adapted to fit snugly into the inturned bead of theimproved closure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container with anannular bead having raised portions intermediate the lower ends of theplurality of closure threads or lugs on the glass finish to provide asubstantial reduction in the space between the inner lower portion ofthe skirt of the cap and the glass finish.

lAnother object of the invention is to provide an improved sealedpackage through the cooperation of the improved closure and the improvedglass finish of the container to prevent infestation of the spacebetween the Patented Sept. 9, 1969 inside of the skirt and the outerwall of the container by insects.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealed package whichbars the entry of insects between the lower edge of the cap and thecontainer and which permits any overflowed product between the inside ofthe skirt and the outer wall to be washed away.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon andunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the inventionhas been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and isshown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a preferredembodiment of the cap of the invention and a preferred embodiment of thecooperating container finish;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the cap shown inFIG. 1 taken through a lug on the cap skirt and shown in sealed positionon the container finish shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a enlarged fragmentary vertical perspective view of the lugand container finish shown in FIG. 2 embodying a sealant;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view partially in section illustratingthe lug of the cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged bottom plan view of the closure cap ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a preferred embodi ment of thecontainer finish flattened to show the finish in a single plane;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a portion of thecontainer finish of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section of the container finish taken along line8-8 on FIG. 7 and illustrating the cap shown in FIG. 1 in sealedposition on the finish with the section taken through a cap lug;

FIG. 9 is a vertical section of the container finish shown in FIG. 7taken along line 99 and illustrating the cap shown in FIG. 1 in sealedposition on the finish with the section taken through a portion of thebead intermediate the cap lugs;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section of the container finish as shown in FIG. 8and illustrating a known type of lug cap in sealed position on thecontainer finish with the section taken through a cap lug; and

FIG. 11 is a vertical section of the container finish as shown in FIG. 9illustrating a known type of lug cap applied to the container finishwith the cap section taken intermediate the cap lugs.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of theimproved closure cap will now be described with particular reference toFIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5. The cap is illustrated with a cut gasket 1 for thesealing member and where the upper portion of the cap follows thegeneral form as described in the abovementioned US. Patent No. 3,174,640includes a stepped skirt having a crown in its upper portion. Theimproved closure of the present invention may be provided with upperportions of differing construction and employing differing sealinggaskets.

A preferred embodiment of the improved closure cap 1 embodies a cover 2which may conveniently include a vacuum indicating fiip panel 3.

Preferably the cap has a stepped skirt including a crowned upper portion4 and an enlarged lower skirt portion 5. A recessed panel 6 in the capcover forms a stacking panel for receiving the bottom of anothercontainer to facilitate the stacking of scaled packages. A sealinggasket 7 is provided preferably in the corner between the cap cover andthe crown portion 4. This may be a cut gasket or a flowed-in plasticgasket or any other suitable gasket for forming a seal with the glasscontainer 8. Improved container engaging lugs 9, which will be describedin detail below, are formed on an inwardly turned curl or bead 10 at thelower edge of the skirt for engaging the container 8.

The lower portion of the cap skirt is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.The inwardly rolled bead preferably has a generally roundedcross-section with its cut edge adjacent the inner surface of the capskirt except at the container engaging lugs 9 which are formed atintervals on the bead 10. As best seen in FIG. 2, the inner side 16 ofthe bead 10 forms a snug fit with the adjacent surface of the container8 to permit rotation of the cap and to prevent insects from passingbetween these surfaces into the space between the skirt and the finishas will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lug 9 extends inwardly and upwardly above theinnermost portion 16 of the bead 10 thus leaving a continuous annularsurface around the complete circumference of the cap skirt at innerportion 16 on cap bead 10.

The lug 9 of the cap preferably has a generally outwardly rolled andrelatively tight curl 17 formed from the free edge of the metal at itsupper and inner portion for engaging the container threads 11. Curl 17on lug 9 on the closure is formed at the upper end of a flared supportportion 18 connecting the container lug engaging curl 17 with the innerside 16 of the cap bead 10.

A preferred container finish for cooperating with the above-describedclosure cap is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. This finish comprises anoutwardly projecting annular bead or shoulder 12 including aseries ofinclined lugs or threads 11, for engaging the cap lugs 9 and anoutwardly and upwardly facing ledge or surface 13 below the containerthreads 11.

In order to control the final sealed position of the closure cap 1 onthe container 8, stops 14 are provided at the lower portions of theinclined container threads 11. In the preferred embodiment illustrated,the areas in advance of the stops 14 and underneath the adjacent threads11 are filled in as illustrated at (FIG. 2 and FIG. 6) to provideadditional barrier area on surface 13 to prevent the entrance of insectsor other foreign matter under the sealed cap both with the cap of FIG. 1and with other caps as will be described below.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the cap of FIG. 1 in sealed position on the containerfinish illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In FIG. 8 the vertical section istaken through the cap skirt at the lug 9 and in FIG. 9 the section istaken through the cap skirt head at a position intermediate the lugs 9.As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is clear that a snug fit is providedwhich creates an insect barrier around the entire circumference of thecap skirt between the innermost portion or surface 16 on the cap skirtand the surface 13 on bead 12 of the container finish. This barrierformed by the surfaces 16 and 13 occurs around a circumferential zone onthe preferred container finish at about the position of the line AA onFIG. 7.

Not only does the underside of the lug 9 make a snug fit with containerledge 12 so that the surfaces 16 and 13 provide a barrier around theentire lower edge of the cap skirt, but at the same time, an effectiveand resilient cap lug construction is provided for forming a tighthermetic seal with a relatively wide range of tolerances for both thecontainer finish and the cap dimensions. The lug and glass finishprovide excellent ranges of cap application and removal torque values.This permits the cap 1 to be applied at high speed by automaticmachinery with a cap application torque sufiicient to keep the captightly in place during package shipment, storage, and display whilepermitting the cap tobe readily removed by the consumer. The slight gapor clearance between the cap bead 16 and the container bead 12 may be aslittle as .001 inch but it should be sufficient to permit rotation ofthe cap and slight variation or tolerance in the size of the containerand enable any overfilled product to be washed out of the space betweenthe skirt and glass finish.

The annular surface 13 extending about the container below the containerthreads 11 varies in height as shown more particularly in FIGS. 6 and 7so that the vertical width of the surface 13 is at a minimum at thelower end of each thread as shown to the right of the stop faces 14. Themaximum vertical height of the surface is greatest at the lower end ofeach thread 11 on the opposite side of the stop face 14. The upperportion of the annular surface 13 fills in the space under the threads11 and leaves a gap 21 between the bottom of each thread and its upperinclined surface. Preferably this space 21 is sufiicient to ac commodatethe vertical section of the cap lug and to give sufficient clearance forthe lug to pass under the thread without interference but fittingsufficiently snug to minimize any excess space in order to preventinsects from passing the lug if one should get in between the lug andthe face 14.

When the cap of the preferred embodiment of the invention is applied tothe container finish the lug passes under the thread 11 as shown in FIG.8 and usually engages the stop face 14. If it should not do so therewould be a space between the front end of the lug and the face 14,however, the fit of the bead at this point would still prevent insectentrance.

The inner side 16 of the bead in the cap of the preferred embodimentwould give ample overlap as shown in FIG. 8. Hence maximum protectionagainst insects is provided with the preferred embodiment of theclosure. The annular zone of protection would extend down to the line AAshown in FIG. 7 which is substantially below the lowest portion of theupper side of the surface 13 on the glass container.

The improved finish is also effective with closure caps having othertypes of lugs. For example, the cap shown in the above mentioned PatentNo. 3,174,640 is shown in sealed position in FIG. 10 of the drawings,the section being through the lug. The cap is shown in sealed positionin FIG. 11 with the section through the bead. The lug fills the spacebetween the thread 11 and the ledge 13. In addition, the inclined upperside of the ledge 13 on the container permits the inner side of the bead24 on the closure to telescope over the bead 12 and form a snug fitwhich prevents insects from passing between the glass and the cap head.

The improved container finish cooperates with the preferred embodimentof closure to give a greater margin of safety in preventing insects fromgetting under the skirt of the cap; fruit flies, for example, or one ofthe troublesome insects. In addition, the glass finish provides a goodmargin of safety in connections with lug caps of other types by sizingthe bead of the cap to fit snugly about the outer surface of the bead onthe container. On the latter type of closures the inner side of the beadof the cap will extend about the outer side of the bead on the containeralong the zone BB shown in FIG. 7.

The closure and finish described above provides an effective barrier forinsects. If a hermetic or more nearly hermetic seal is desired at thebottom of the closure, this may be obtained as shown in FIG. 3. Asealing material 19 is then provided between the inner side of theinturned bead 10 of the cap and the upper corner of the bead 12 on thecontainer. This sealing material may conveniently be a disc of rubber orimpregnated paper which may be snapped over the glass finish onto theupper surface of the bead 12. If preferred, hot melts or parafiin waxmay be applied to the inner side of the bead on the closure or on theupper outer portion of the bead on the glass container. The discs ofrubber or impregnated paper may be machine applied to the container. Hotmelts or paraffin wax may be applied about the upper part of the head onthe container by rolling the container against an elongated waxapplicator or against a suitable wax applying brush or in any othersuitable manner. The added sealing material can be made to form either ahermetic seal or a near hermetic seal. The snug fit between the bead onthe closure and the bead on the container minimizes the amount ofsealing material required and simplifies and sealing operation.

It will be seen that the improved closure and glass finish cooperate inthe sealed package to provide an efiective barrier aaginst foreignmatter including insects. The effective barrier is provided with orwithout additional sealing elements and in a package which provides animproved hermetic seal. The improved cap lug and bead cooperate with thecontainer bead to prevent insects from getting under the skirt of thecap.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangements of the parts herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted asillustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A sealed package comprising the combination of a container having caplug engaging members positioned below its rim and an annular ledgepositioned below said members having upwardly and outwardly facingsurfaces, a closure cap telscoped over the rim of the container having acover and a depending skirt, an inwardly rolled bead extending aroundthe lower edge of the skirt, spaced portions of said head comprisingcontainer engaging lugs, said lug portions of said bead extendinginwardly and upwardly toward the cap cover and terminating in a curlpositioned inwardly of the remaining portions of said bead and inengagement with a lug engaging member on the container and above theupwardly facing surface of said ledges, and the lower portion of thehead around its entire circumference being positioned closely adjacentto the outwardly facing surface to form an insect barrier.

2. The sealed package as claimed in claim 1 including a stop portion onthe underside of at least one of said cap lug engaging members.

3. The sealed package as claimed in claim 1 in which the upper part ofthe cap lug is above the normal upper portion of the cap head.

4. The sealed package as claimed in claim 1 in which the outer surfacesof the cap lug engaging members and the outwardly facing surface of theledge are substantially vertically aligned.

5. The sealed package as claimed in claim 1 wherein a sealant isdisposed between said cap and said ledge.

6. A closure cap for a container having cap lug engaging memberspositioned below its rim and an annular ledge positioned below saidmembers having upwardly and outwardly facing surfaces, said closure caphaving a cover and a depending skirt, an inwardly rolled bead extendingaround the entire lower edge of the skirt, spaced apart portions of saidbead comprising container engaging lugs, said rolled bead beinggenerally annular in cross section intermediate said lugs and generallysemi-circular at said lugs, said lugs extending from the inner edge ofthe semi-circular portion of said bead, said lug in cross-section havinga first generally upwardly directed arcuate portion extending from saidinner edge and terminating in an inwardly and upwardly extendingstraight portion, said straight portion terminating at an outwardlyrolled curl position radially inwardly 01' the remaining portions ofsaid bead for engagement with a lug engaging member on the container andabove the upwardly facing surface of said ledge, and the lower portionof the head around its entire circumference including the inner part ofsaid semi-circular portions being adapted for being positioned closelyadjacent to the outwardly facing ledge surface to form an insectbarrier.

7. The cap as claimed in claim 6 in which said straight portion of saidlug has an angle of about 45 from the vertical.

8. The cap as claimed in claim 6 in which said cap skirt is generallyvertical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,556,020 10/1925 Noll 215441,626,917 5/1927 Carvalho 21544 2,181,179 11/1939 Eccleston. 2,264,79212/1941 Gray et a1. 21544 2,265,015 12/1941 Watson 2l544 2,309,3081/1943 Gibbs 220-40 3,143,234 8/1964 Foss ct al 2l544 XR 3,286,8681/1966 Mumford 21544 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 410,775 5/ 1934 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner

